Are Ft. Bend County home invasions related?

It's scary news for some Fort Bend County residents who are dealing with a rash of home invasions, in which families were left tied up and helpless. The latest break in happened on Golden Heath near Desert Bluff in the Grand Mission subdivision Monday night.

Three months ago, it happened in the Woodbridge subdivision off Highway 90. That was the first home invasion and robbery. In June, it happened in the Lakemont subdivision. And then on Tuesday night in a new Richmond subdivision, there was a third home invasion.

Five to six men broke in through a back window, tied up the homeowner, along with her teenage son, demanded money at gunpoint. Police say the woman later loosened her ties and ran to a neighbor's home for help.

"These people are looking for a confrontation, They're intentionally hitting you while you're there for that purpose," said Ft. Bend County Sheriff's Office Chief Craig Brady. "They make you tell them where your stuff is, so that's by far more dangerous than a regular burglary."

They're dangerous and the sheriff's office believes, all connected. The suspects are black, but speak Spanish to each other while speaking to their victims in English. It's also similar to a rash of home invasions in the county more than a year ago.

"Where there were arrests of some Columbian nationals that were involved in this type of activity," said Brady. "At that point, it was an organized group and this may be a spinoff from the same organization."

Another similarity is that all the homeowners own small businesses, one a Dollar General store, and may not use armored cars to pick up receipts

"Unfortunately, I think some of the businesses do that, and the crooks are aware of it," said Brady.

There wasn't a lot of cash obtained in any of the robberies. In Tuesday's robbery, it was around $1,000.

Anyone with information on the suspects involved or the circumstances surrounding any one of these home invasions are asked to contact the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office at (281) 341-4665 or Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers, Inc. at (281) 342-TIPS (8477).